However, despite AlienVPS looking better on network end, they use OpenVZ to virtualise. Result is that you are unable to create you own swap partition, and some OS modules are not available [Not exactly a deal breaker as there are ways to get around it].

DigitalOcean use KVM (QEMU) and you can pretty much do most stuff with it, BUT you get only 1 core, and high RTT from SG [That is VERY bad if you are using it for regular web surfing].

Personally I’ve tried both, and I would say that AlienVPS in terms of performance is way better. However for the cheaper option, you may run into memory issues because the amount of memory is really lacking. Now I have set up the $4/month AlienVPS server with OpenVPN, and streaming videos from Hulu is pretty much smooth. Hulu on DigitalOcean (New York) is decent, but may lag at times. That said, DigitalOcean uses SSD, and if that’s what you are looking for (DB server and stuff), it could fit the use case of a cheap DB server too.

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laurence

I am a Senior Engineer with Singapore Power, and have a passion for security and distributed systems. Prior to this, I have worked in companies including PayPal, 99.co, and Nugit.
I also headed GeekcampSG from 2012 to 2014, and am currently focusing my free time on social empowerment initiatives including IAmTalentedSG, and CollaborateSG. When not doing work, or any of these stuff, I can be found cafe hopping/taking photos/trekking.